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柔和 (róu hé) — soft, gentle (of light, sound, texture, or character)

Definition

柔和 describes a gentle, mild quality — soft light, gentle tone, or a mild character. 软/柔软 are about physical texture to the touch; 温和 is calmer and more about personality or climate.

adjective
softgentle (of light, sound, texture, or character)

Examples

  • 柔和。
    Zhè jiàn máo yī mō qǐ lái hěn róu hé.
    This sweater feels very soft.
  • 柔和。
    Tā yòng róu hé de yǔ qì ān wèi zhe wǒ.
    She comforted me with a gentle tone.
  • 柔和。
    Huáng hūn de guāng xiàn fēi cháng róu hé.
    The twilight light is very soft.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

柔róusoft
和hémild

"柔" conveys softness, and "和" conveys mildness, together giving a gentle quality.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 柔 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé和hé
Same sound today

和 pairs 禾, which gives the sound, with 口 (mouth), the meaning part; the reference connects this shape to harmony.

Open 和 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Texture & Quality

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